Grandprix door handle
- Thread starter justacruzr2
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Yeah, it's a Grand Prix door. And top answer some of the other comments there are no welding marks, no bondo and the pinch welds are factory. I suppose it's possible that Pontiac used the Grand Prix door on another vehicle. They are being very co-operative and from my last conversation with them it sounded like they realized that it was unusual as well. I'm sure they've seen enough of these G bodies to see that it's not right. Even my friend's 72 Camaro had these door handles as well. They were using these on everything for about 20 years except for Cadillacs, trucks and vans.
There where only two L/R doors used for '78-'87 G.P.'s regardless of power windows or locks, the '78-'80 & '81-'87. No other model used those doors. Only the lift bar style door handle was used on our generation A/G's. What you got could of been redone by someone who really has some custom skills to fuse those handle pockets to the doors. To be honest those are one of none.
If you cannot see any evidence of welding the doors were probably reskinned at some point and those door handle holes and pockets were welded in by "hammer welding". I was showed this technique decades ago by some old master and you could not tell he butt welded two panels together.
if you compare the trim insert shape to the pictures in the wikipedia article for GPs, you'll see that the only one that even comes close is the late-90s, and even then the door handle does not match
en.wikipedia.org
Pontiac Grand Prix - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Pull out from the back type handle conversion to a newer style. It won't have a door lock on that side because whatever it was in had power door locks standard, and ONE key hole on the driver side handle only like most newer vehicles.
If that indeed is a GP door skin, it's been modified. Not going to convince me it came that way from GM. Every G-body came with what I call the "Kit Kat" bar door handles. Not a big fan of them, but that's what the General gave us.
If that indeed is a GP door skin, it's been modified. Not going to convince me it came that way from GM. Every G-body came with what I call the "Kit Kat" bar door handles. Not a big fan of them, but that's what the General gave us.
The door skins are pure. They have not been customized from standard door skins. I've been doing mechanical and body work for 53 years. I can spot that sort of thing right off. Not wanting to start an argument since I agree there's only one type of door I've ever seen too....yet there they are and they came from something and that's what I'm curious about and nothing mentioned here so far explains them. If they were custom made, it's one of the finest jobs I've ever seen. They definitely are doors for an 81-87 Grand Prix except for the door handle area. All the contours and body lines are correct and the measurements are correct too. Spacing between the door hinges are correct as is the cutout for the door latch. This is one good mystery.
Now if you wish to run with them you have to find that needle in the haystack just to figure out where to source the handles that will fit. This may be harder than making custom linkage to make it all function together.
No, no, no. Desert Valley is locating 2 correct doors for me. I have no desire to mess with something this rare. Probably would never find what was needed and I'm trying to complete this GP and get it on the road by September...tick...tick...tick.
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